Module: | Embryo, Seed, Fruit & Apomixis
Q89: Consider the following statements regarding the application of pollen banks:
1. Pollen banks utilize liquid nitrogen at a temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius to cryopreserve pollen grains for extended periods.
2. This cryopreservation technology is fundamentally vital for maintaining biodiversity and assisting in delayed artificial crop breeding programs.
3. Pollen banks are exclusively used for wind-pollinated species because their pollen inherently lacks the protective sporopollenin layer found in insect-pollinated species.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. This cryopreservation technology is fundamentally vital for maintaining biodiversity and assisting in delayed artificial crop breeding programs.
3. Pollen banks are exclusively used for wind-pollinated species because their pollen inherently lacks the protective sporopollenin layer found in insect-pollinated species.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
The correct option is A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct, whereas Statement 3 is strictly incorrect.
Pollen banks operate on the principle of cryopreservation.
By suspending the pollen in liquid nitrogen (-196 C), all cellular metabolism and enzymatic degradation are halted without the formation of lethal intracellular ice crystals.
Causally, this allows agricultural scientists to store male genetic material for years, enabling them to cross-breed plants that flower in entirely different seasons or geographical locations.
Statement 3 presents a major botanical falsehood.
Sporopollenin is a ubiquitous biological polymer; it forms the tough exine layer of virtually all angiosperm pollen, regardless of whether the plant is wind-pollinated (anemophilous) or insect-pollinated (entomophilous). Therefore, pollen banks store valuable genetic material across all modes of pollination.
Pollen banks operate on the principle of cryopreservation.
By suspending the pollen in liquid nitrogen (-196 C), all cellular metabolism and enzymatic degradation are halted without the formation of lethal intracellular ice crystals.
Causally, this allows agricultural scientists to store male genetic material for years, enabling them to cross-breed plants that flower in entirely different seasons or geographical locations.
Statement 3 presents a major botanical falsehood.
Sporopollenin is a ubiquitous biological polymer; it forms the tough exine layer of virtually all angiosperm pollen, regardless of whether the plant is wind-pollinated (anemophilous) or insect-pollinated (entomophilous). Therefore, pollen banks store valuable genetic material across all modes of pollination.